Spanish football is experiencing hours of maximum tension after the controversial Catalan derby played on February 16, 2026 in Montilivi, where Girona beat FC Barcelona 2-1 in a match that left the Blaugrana team without the leadership of LaLiga and with deep indignation over referee decisions considered unfair. The culé board, headed by Joan Laporta and Deco, was quick to react: they threatened to escalate the case to higher authorities if immediate measures were not taken.

Barely 48 hours later, the Technical Committee of Referees (CTA) of the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) has issued an urgent decision that confirms the refereeing error and punishes one of those involved.

The central point of the scandal is Girona’s second goal, scored by Fran Beltrán in the 86th minute, which gave the locals the victory and caused Barça to lose first place in favor of Real Madrid. The play prior to the goal was decisive: Argentine Claudio Echeverri clearly stepped on Jules Koundé’s ankle in an action that many described as a flagrant foul. Neither the main referee, César Soto Grado, nor the person responsible for the VAR, David Gálvez Rascón, intervened to review the play or annul the goal.

Koundé was left lying on the ground after the stomp, but Soto Grado dismissed the contact with a gesture and allowed the game to continue, which led to Beltrán’s final shot.

Barcelona did not take long to make its voice heard. The club sent a formal letter to the RFEF and the CTA denouncing a series of referee inconsistencies accumulated in recent weeks: lack of coherence in disciplinary decisions, contradictory criteria in handball plays, significant errors in the use of VAR and opacity in the reviews on the field monitor.

Players like Raphinha exploded on social networks with strong messages: “The rules are different depending on who plays,” the Brazilian wrote, adding to the complaints of Hansi Flick, who had already criticized the refereeing in a press conference after the game. The German coach avoided entering into direct controversies, but the Blaugrana locker room was seething with frustration.

Faced with pressure from Barça and the media commotion, the CTA acted quickly. According to information published by media such as AS, Cadena SER, SPORT and Eurosport, the Technical Committee of Referees internally recognized that there was a “clear error” in the non-intervention of the VAR. The action against Koundé should have been reviewed, and if the foul had been called, Girona’s goal would have been annulled. This admission represents a significant blow to the credibility of the refereeing establishment, especially after similar complaints in other recent Barcelona matches, such as the annulment of Pau Cubarsí against Atlético de Madrid.

The urgent decision of the CTA has been to sanction the VAR referee, David Gálvez Rascón, with what is known in refereeing jargon as a “neverazo”: an indefinite suspension until further notice. The referee is excluded from any appointment in professional competitions for the duration of the measure. CTA sources explained that this is the most serious sanction applied on the day, a clear message that negligence in decisive plays will not be tolerated.

Some reports also mention that the main referee, César Soto Grado, could face similar consequences in the coming weeks, although no additional measures against him have been confirmed at the moment.

This resolution comes at a delicate moment for Spanish football. The VAR, introduced to minimize errors, continues to generate more controversy than solutions. Barcelona, ​​which had already filed formal complaints for the accumulation of decisions against it, sees this sanction as a small moral victory, although the result of the match will not change: the three points remain in Montilivi and the leadership remains in the hands of Real Madrid.

However, the culé board interprets the CTA’s movement as a response to its threats to escalate the matter, possibly before bodies such as the TAS or even judicial bodies if systematic patterns are detected.

Within Girona, the reaction has been more contained. The club was grateful for the victory and avoided entering into the arbitration debate, although Echeverri himself acknowledged in later statements that the contact with Koundé was involuntary but evident. For Barça, the focus now is on recovering sportingly: Flick’s team needs consecutive victories to return to the top and demonstrate that, beyond controversies, their football can prevail.

The Girona-Barça scandal has reopened the eternal debate about refereeing quality in LaLiga. Experts such as Iturralde González, in analysis for AS and Cadena SER, have reviewed the play and agreed that it was reviewable and punishable. The sanction against Gálvez Rascón sends a message of accountability, but it also shows that the VAR system still has important cracks. Meanwhile, the Blaugrana fans breathe a little more relieved: at least, the mistake has been officially recognized.

Football doesn’t stop, and Barcelona’s next game will be key to measuring the real impact of this refereeing storm. For now, the massive shock shakes LaLiga, and the Referees Committee has taken a step that few expected so quickly. Will it be enough to restore confidence, or just the beginning of a larger crisis? Time, and the next arbitration appointments, will tell.